Here's the stream of consciousness that got me to this Beauty Fix post, hold on tight:

A couple of days ago I watched the PBS airing of the documentary Makers: Women Who Make America (f you haven't seen it yet, woman or man, you MUST watch this) and became fixated on Gloria Steinem. I walked away feeling beyond inspired to do good work and inspire others to redefine what they think is possible (in this case, I'm referring to personal style, but that's just the beginning).

The StyleShaker is my platform to do just that, in my own small way, and for lack of a better expression, I was completely fired up. So, before getting down to work, I thought I'd channel the great Ms. (pun-intended) Steinem via a little back-combing action and some eyeliner. I felt inspired beyond words so I wanted to use my look to express this newfound energy, strength, and excitement. It's the whole, "when you FEEL good, you look good," as opposed to the other way around. I felt amazing.

This is nothing new in my life.

In some random, and fundamentally oversimplified way, I equate attempting to emulate the look of someone I respect with somehow harnessing a small piece of what that person stands for.

Obviously we copy celebrity and runway fashion, it's what the industry is about, but in this case, I'm using the personbehind the look, and not just the look as inspiration. I don't attempt to become them, I just absorb the best about them that resonated within me and empower myself via small aesthetic changes. Makeup and hair happen to be some of the easiest ways to do this. Clothing works too.

I did it with Katherine Hepburn and perfectly constructed jackets/blazers, Blondie's Debbie Harry and red lipstick, and now Gloria and those eyes.

My first attempt at the remarkable Ms. Steinam's look was a bit of a challenge, hence this post. Cut to thirty minutes after having sat down to put on my makeup, when I came to the glaring realization that I am completely lost when it comes to eyeliner application, especially when attempting to pull off the 'cat-eye' look. I know, I went from the Women's Liberation Movement to eyeliner issues. It's just how my brain works, and it's a good thing for you because, instead of wasting another thirty minutes, I dug around for some tips that I want to share with you.

I started off searching for your everyday, classic black eyeliner out there in the form of video tutorials and product reviews. Along the way I stumbled past black and spotted a few articles on navy blue liner. Ohhhh. Not only is navy a personal favorite of mine on the color spectrum, it also happens to be the perfect color complement to pop a dark brown eye (which I have).

First, the how-to-wear-it inspiration. I found six ways to wear this deep blue, practically-black-but-not-quite, shade of eyeliner that I happen to love (read: adore and am completely obsessed with).

That is what's great about makeup. You get to play, try out new looks, be who you want to be (clean-faced, sun-kissed girl next door or super-sexy, lip-stained vamp owning the room, etc.) and not worry about fit or even budget in most cases.

Take any picture that inspires you, pop into Sephora, M.A.C., Ulta, whatever is close by, and try to re-create the look, or just stick right here. If it's doesn't work for you, no big deal, all it takes is a q-tip and kleenex to get back to where you want to be.

Naturally, after having completely inspired myself to try out navy eyeliner and pull off my own take on the cat-eye look, I immediately started checking out product reviews. Cue the shopping inspiration part of the equation. I've narrowed it down to my top 3 shopping picks to try (which I am going to check out today) below based on reviews.

Finally, now that I have the shopping and look inspiration covered, it's time to solve my initial problem, how to apply this liner without looking like a clown.

Evidently, I'm not the only one struggling with the application issue. I scoured YouTube for a video tutorial that made the most sense to me and also included it below.

Scroll away, get inspired, try something new out, and shake things up a bit in the beauty department. Isn't that what it's all about anyway? If you never try you'll never know...

Grab your pen and paper people. It's time for a little tutorial (if you know of any others or have product suggestions, help us out and share!). The video uses liquid eyeliner and a '210' brush which, evidently, I'm insane for not already owning, who knew. I think it's possible however, to pull it off with a well-sharpened pencil too. Take a look:

Sure, the laser-like shopping focus of this post is navy eyeliner, but why stop there? Keep the momentum going and shop the closet by clicking below:

At The StyleShaker we believe 'when you FEEL good, you LOOK good.' We flipped the well-known saying on it's head for a reason. How do you capture that serotonin-filled feel-good moment everyone's always chasing? You create it. But you don't have to do it alone. The StyleShaker is here to get you inspired, excited, and in the end, help you take your personal style to levels you never thought possible. Aim higher, think bigger, walk into every day feeling confident and always, ALWAYS ask for help (a sign of strength, not weakness; took me awhile to figure that out) or know it's here if you need it.

See more on what to wear, how to wear it, and soak up some inspiration that will help you redefine what you thought was possible.